I am transforming my 870 for home defense purposes. with my 18.5" barrel I can chamber up to 3" mags. so what do you all use in yours? I am leaning toward 2 3/4 00 buck. but as will all things I like to know what the masses are into

For my standard round I use the Federal Tactical 00 buckshot (LE132-00) . I find that the federal FLITECONTROL wad as they call it does indeed make much better groups then some similar loads. I keep 7 of those in the tube ( of a Mossberg 590 ), and on the 5 round side saddle there are 2 Federal Tactical Hydra Shok Hollow Point Slugs (#LE127RS), 2 Winchester Ranger slugs ( or Remington reduced recoil slugs ) and one good ole full house 3" High velocity slug .. just in case

Some people would argue having different ammunition is asking for trouble. If it were all kept in the tube, I'd probably agree. I'm well practiced though and confident enough at grabbing for the right round for the job out of the side saddle if I should need something special in a hurry. I figure I've got the bases covered if for some reason a reduced recoil buckshot isn't doing the trick.. like .. say if a bear or a bad guy wearing body armor breaks in, I'll be pleased I had one slug ready.. heh

me personally i keep 4 00 buck shot in the mag also i keep a stinger shell (rubber shot) as the first tho be chambered., mainly because i know how the screwed up court system works, and shooting someone with "less lethal" ammo first is a good way to help prove "escalation of force"

Federal LE 127-00 (9 pellet 00 buck, 1325 FPS, FliteControl) in the magazine, Brenneke KO slugs in the Sidesaddle. My wife has taken to keeping just Brennekes in 'her' house gun, as she carries it along when she visits her parents in western NC. There's been a nuisance bear in the area up there lately...

lpl

__________________Mindset - Skillset - Toolset. In that order!

Attitude and skill will get you through times of no gear, better than gear will get you through times of no attitude and no skill.

Yep old subject but just to get the flamers started I submit that my HD load is a 20 gauge 2 3/4" #4 shot. At 24' it is still only 1 1'2" wide, the shot cup is just separating from the shot string and it will ruin any boogermans day with an aimed shot. Mr. Mossberg is up to the challenge and there is always that wonderful sound a pump action makes prior to having to do any trigger work which may or may not change an intruders mind about staying where he isn't wanted.

That distance is the longest shot I am ever going to have to take inside my house and more likely 10' or less would be more realistic. It will blow a 3/4" hole through a 2x4 at 10' so a leather jacket isn't likely to bother it to much.

Don't have many drug crazed, body armor wearing, 300 pound axe murderers in my neck of the woods and I feel this gun and this load is all that is needed without looking like a blood crazed killer to a potential prosecutor or a lawyer for the boogermans family.

I do have 0 and 00 and slugs and I do have a 18 1/2" barreled 12 gauge semi-auto Winchester but unless I am going to war or I am being attacked by a horde of evil people wanting to suck out my brains and eat my children it seems like overkill to me.

__________________
Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
--Daniel Webster--

I am in the boat that says use what you want and feel comfortable with... But...

Quote:

without looking like a blood crazed killer to a potential prosecutor or a lawyer for the boogermans family.

This is the statement that gets my goat (give her back when yer done please).
No way a DA is going to trump my lawyer with that mindset. Flechettes maybe but not my "over the counter" basic 00 buck shot. My second amendment right to keep and bear arms along with my right to life liberty and happiness says that as long as I am not buying or loading freakish odd rounds I am good to go. Heck... as much as I profess to keeping the HD gun basic, I don't think a tactical shotgun is as risky as the circumstances surronding the use of the weapon...
Brent

First two shells in the mag are 00 buck, and the other four are Remington Sluggers. All are 2 3/4" shells. Buttstock shell holder has three each of 00 and slug.

I figure if two rounds of buckshot didn't stop the threat then they are behind cover of some sort and I'll be needing the slugs.

Lots of different circumstances to consider, YMMV.

__________________"The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition."

I keep 00 buck as my primarily defense round, and it is more common as far as getting it locally. I do have a much smaller amount of slugs around in case of an unusual situation that calls for it. Birdshot may be used in some defense situations, but is definitely easier on the wallet at the range compared to buckshot.

Shells. In the gun, the first 3 are Rem. 3" mag in #2 steel shot, followed by 2 of Rem. 3" mag with #4 buck. Just for fun, I shot a 24 oz. propane cylinder at 25 ft. with a 2-3/4" heavy load of #4 lead. There were 8 penetration points, and the thing flew about 60 feet (empty when hit). Inside a room, it doesn't matter what load you use. Even the cheap field loads with 7-1/2 shot will make a ghastly mess of a man, and will be much more recoverable if you have to keep shooting. These threads really do get way too much air time.

As far as the OP question goes, 00 buck. In rgards to the poster who keeps a less lethal round as the first one in the gun, I recently spoke with one of our lead Felony intake attorneys in my area (Central Florida...10th Judicial to be exact) in regards to this on behalf of a friend. He reccommended against it legally. In FL, discharging a firearm is generally considered to be lethal force whether or not you intended to kill the person or not. If someone is in your house,shooting them with a less lethal round could expose you to more trouble then just doing it the right way to begin with in that the question will be "if you didn't feel that your life was in danger, then why did you fire the weapon at all?" as you can only use deadly force if you feel that your life is in danger. We don't use it to scare people. Would you be prosecuted? Probably not but the circumstances will of course dictate that. The civil end is where you may get hosed by the bad guy and his attorney.

In FL at least, if someone breaks into your house, it's basically game on.

Now, your local laws will of course vary and this is by no means a binding decision. It's simply an opinion from a pretty good prosecutor who has been around the block several time is also very 2A friendly (I've been shooting with him several times). LEO's have policies written for the deployment of less lethal rounds but they are never deployed without a back up standing by with a lethal force option as sometimes, all those beanbags do is **** a bad guy off. YMMV, It's just something to consider.

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